There is no rhyme or reason to the following pictures, except that they give a glimpse into the month of May.

Jake now has another seating option in the car: behind the wheel.

We played a rousing game of softball at my brother’s house on Mother’s Day. We ended after just a couple innings due to a fast approaching storm.

One night I brought Derek and Jeremy to baseball practice and came home to this:

Jake had made an apple pie and Peter had made a pumpkin roll.

Baseball season has begun! The boys are totally geared up.

The baseball wannabe is geared up too.

The left-behind canine is not so geared up. You guys are leaving again??

Soon I’ll post some great pictures my mom took from Memorial Day weekend…just hang on.

A friend had some free passes to Brookfield Zoo and invited us to join them for an end-of-the-school-year field trip.

It was great fun! Jake even played hooky from his Metea classes so he could join us and show off his impressive wing span.

The kids really connected with the animals…

Ruthie’s favorite was the polar bear. I think it’s her favorite because it reminds her of her canine best friend, Molly.

Lounging on the river boat.

After a while the little ones got tired of walking, so they tapped the bigger ones for piggy back rides.

All around a great day!

We had one of the worst storms in recent memory blow through last night. I was out with the kids, acting as taxi driver for the evening, and during a three hour span we endured a deluge of rain and hail, and dodged lightning bolts as we ran from various buildings to the car.

We assumed the worst was over when the rain subsided, so as we drove into our neighborhood we breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until we continued on and saw a lake of water at the intersection. I quickly backed up and attempted another route, only to find that water was just as high on the other side. We were 100 yards from our house and unable to pull into the driveway! So close yet so far! Other cars had already stalled attempting to pass through the water. I made a quick decision to just go for it…we all really wanted to get home.

I began praying out loud. I could tell the water was high, as the car was sluggish, but thought I could see higher ground ahead. Instead, as we drove forward, the water became even deeper, and I began to lose steering power while the warning light came on in the car. Uh-oh.

I gunned it, knowing we were too far into the water to back up now. We made it out with a wake behind us and pulled into our driveway a little shaky, but safe.

We could see that tree limbs and leaves had fallen en masse during the storm, and that likely was the cause of the flooding, as the drains were coated with layers of leaves. Derek offered to walk around the neighborhood and clear drains. Jake joined him.

Derek said the water was up to his knees, and he even had to pull up his shorts at times to keep them from getting wet. Once they raked the leaves off the drains, there was such a current of water rushing down that they could feel the water receding on their legs. It was a matter of minutes before the roads went from 2-3 feet of standing water to merely wet.

We all gave many thanks to God for bringing us home safely, as well as for keeping our house safe and dry. By the end of it all, Peter said he was going to have a good story to tell his kids when he’s older.

Jake finished his track season strong, achieving yet another PR for the mile. He worked hard, running both long distances and tough workouts every week. Good job, buddy!

“…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…” (Hebrews 12)

Jeremy has a new favorite treat: the Going Green Smoothie. He asks for this vitamin-packed drink for breakfast every day.

Here’s how you make it.

1/2 cup water
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 medium banana, peeled
2 cups fresh spinach, lightly packed
1/2 cup ice cubes

Blend it up and drink it down!

We had a lovely Easter Sunday a few weeks ago. We began the day worshiping at Moody Church with my parents, then headed to their condo for a delicious brunch. Seriously delicious. Sadly, I’ve become either lazy or forgetful when it comes to taking pictures these days, so you are left to picture the scenes in your imagination, and I am left to my memory (which isn’t very promising).

We did manage to get a family picture on the rooftop, though. These kids are getting so big, and I’m feeling bittersweet emotions looking at this picture.

After brunch, Ruthie asked to visit the dog park down the street from my parents’ building. Dogs of all sizes and temperaments run free in this gated area covered in artificial turf…a vet-in-training’s dream! Ruthie provided much entertainment, not only for us but for many of the dog owners in the park. Some were taking pictures of her interacting with the dogs (all of course while wearing a pretty dress–a very pretty dress).

She was like the pied piper of Dogland. The canines followed her everywhere.

The yellow lab in the pictures is not Molly; I thought it was cute that a Molly look-alike especially took to Ruth.

It was a great day in the city!